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Yard sale an act of love for St. Timothy parish

Lesley Duggan
9:21 p.m. EDT July 29, 2014

The World’s Longest Yard Sale takes place Aug. 7-10 along U.S. 127 from Michigan to Alabama. St. Timothy Church donates its proceeds to a school in Zambia for orphaned children. The St. Tim event is Saturday, Aug. 9.
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UNION – In 2005 St. Timothy’s parish first became acquainted with St. Charles Academy, a school in Solwezi, Zambia, Africa, for orphaned, vulnerable children.

These children, deemed the “throw-aways,” were brought to the church’s attention through then-parishioners Ted and Mona Lewis.

In 2006 the school was to be closed due to lack of funds.

St. Timothy’s response? A commitment to financially assist with $2,000 a year.

That’s how the annual St. Timothy/St. Charles Longest Yard Sale event was born.

Today St. Charles Academy remains open because of St. Timothy parish’s pledge. Since the first yard sale in 2007, $38,500 in financial aid has been provided, proceeds derived from the one-day yard sale event.

Sister Norma, the school’s director, and the teaching staff operate the school almost solely on St. Tim’s yearly donation.

“We are blessed to have you as our partner to work in God’s vineyard here in Solwezi and we are glad that you continue to keep your promise and your commitment to St. Charles,” Sister Norma has said.

“Looking at the situation of St. Charles at this time it’s only your organization that is committed to help these orphans and vulnerable children every year, apart from the subsidy we receive from Rome on Holy Childhood.”

Most important, Sister Norma said, is that the orphans “have their basic needs to be in school and learn.”

The Rev. Charles Kasonde, bishop of Solwezi, also expressed his gratitude,

“We feel so blessed to have St. Timothy parish as our regular collaborator to support the orphans and vulnerable children here in Solwezi, Zambia. I can imagine how much time and efforts that you put together to come up with this project. What you are doing is a clear manifestation of God’s love to humanity. May God be glorified through your acts of kindness and generosity,” the bishop wrote.

The yard sale, which takes place 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 9, is a one-day transformation of St. Tim’s parking lots into a corridor of 70-plus vendors and thousdands of shoppers and it takes many vendors and volunteers to make it successful for St. Charles. If you would like to rent a space or looking for a volunteer opportunity, contact Yard Sale Chairman, John Benton, 859-485-1172 or jbenton512@fuse.net.

Part of World’s Longest Yard Sale

Where: In the parking lot of St. Timothy’s Church, 10272 U.S. 42, Union